


a snake in the garden

by dinosaur12



Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Althea is a friend's!, Lisa is my OC, Other, Spade Kingdom Arc (Black Clover), and they're both scheming, au where Julius is dead btw, two powerful women, uh oh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28241160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinosaur12/pseuds/dinosaur12
Summary: A chance meeting with the new Clover Wizard King gives Althea a chance to change the tide of the war. However. nothing will ever be that simple.A gift for my friend Anna (sharkologydesign) from tumbr! Althea is her OC and Lisa is mine.
Relationships: Zenon (Black Clover)/Original Character, but like... implied - Relationship
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	1. | 1 |

“You’re about 10 weeks in now. Almost 3 months! You’re going to start showing the pregnancy in your belly soon, but the morning sickness will slowly go away.”

 _Nearly six months left…_ It took every shred of willpower within Lisa to keep from letting out a long groan. Instead, she just smiled and stayed silent as Owen’s _Qualle Operation_ continued to cycle her midsection. _God… I know it’s a miracle that I’m having a baby at all, but I wish it could have happened a little earlier. There’s no way I’m putting this baby in danger to fight a devil!_

“Well, since everything is progressing correctly, I’ll have you come in again at the 3 month mark,” Owen told her, writing stuff down, probably a reminder for when she inevitably forgot. “At that point, you’ll be entering your second trimester-”

“Dr. Owen?”

Both Owen and Lisa nearly jumped in their seats as the door opened and the voice called out. They turned quickly in unison, obviously frantic, to see a woman standing there in the doorway. Her eyes widened slightly when she realized that she walked in on Owen with a patient. “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s fine, Althea.” Owen let out a sigh of relief, but still seemed a little tense. “We were almost finished, anyway.” His magic slowly retreated from Lisa's body, and she swung her legs off the examination bed. “Lisa, this is Doctor Althea, she’s been helping me recently.”

“Oh! Nice to meet you!” Lisa quickly got over her shock and gave Althea a bright smile. “You just started?”

Althea’s green eyes darted from Owen over to Lisa's face, and there was no visible reaction within them as she realized who she was looking at. However, her hands tightened on the wooden clipboard she held. Lisa didn’t notice, since she was already worrying about her own problems.

“Yes… Just a week ago, in fact.”

_I hope she didn’t hear anything… no one’s supposed to know about my pregnancy yet-_

“It’s nice to meet you, too, your majesty.”

The rest of the day progressed as normal. Lisa went home to finish up work, and Althea stayed late at the hospital. “Althea, you can head out, I’ll finish this up,” Owen assured her, busy preparing some medicines and potions for the next day. “Thank you for everything, you’re one of the most helpful healing mages I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”

Her eyes widened a little at the compliment. “Oh… Doctor, that means a lot-”

“Please. Just Owen!” Owen tore his gaze away from his work to give her a little smile. “Now, go enjoy your evening.”

_Enjoy your evening._

Althea would have liked to do that… but she had a job to do. Several jobs, in fact. And right now, she had to report what she had the fortune to overhear. Without a sound, Althea dashed home to the apartment she was renting, locking the door behind her and sticking a chair under the knob for good measure. Sucking in a breath, she moved to her bed, crouching down and quickly dragging out a heavy metal box. The rusty lid wailed quietly as she cracked it open, revealing old, innocent-looking notebooks. But once she removed them, a secret, false bottom was revealed, and inside…

Althea smiled to herself as she pulled out the flat, discrete long-distance communication device. She glanced over at her alarm clock. _It’s nearly 9 o’clock… just a few more seconds…_

Right on cue, the device crackled with static, giving way for a voice to come through. A quiet, flat, disinterested-sounding voice that Althea knew all too well.

_“Althea, are you there?”_

A cold voice… but Althea alone could pick up on the few notes of warmth within it. It was the voice of _home._

“Yes, Zenon, I’m here.”

Zenon was interrupted by two new voices, a deep male voice and a feminine squeal.

_“Yes!!!! Althe~~aaaaa, it’s been too long, come home before these two bore me to death!”_

_“Come on, Vanica, at least_ I’m _fun!”_

_“No you aren’t, Dante!”_

_“Enough!”_ Zenon’s voice silenced them both, edged with urgency. He obviously was eager to hear Althea’s weekly report… or, at least, just to hear that she was alive and well, and succeeding in her mission. _“Althea, any developments?”_

 _Right to business, as usual._ Althea nodded, even though the trio couldn’t see her. “I have a couple… well, first of all, I managed to get a job working in the royal hospital. I expect I’ll be able to infiltrate the castle very soon.”

 _“Excellent! Such deception…”_ Dante chuckled.

 _“Don’t be too obvious… take it slow,”_ Zenon reminded her. _“That’s good news, though… before too long, you may have access to important documents.”_

_“Maybe you’ll even meet that new Wizard King! Or Wizard Queen? I don’t know if the title changes when-”_

“That’s the other development…” Vanica fell silent as Althea spoke again. Althea wasn’t sure why, but her grip tightened on the communicator. “The Wizard King… she was in the hospital today. I walked in on her appointment by accident.”

 _“Oh, really? What’s wrong with her?”_ Dante sounded almost gleeful. _“Is she sick? Or dying, perhaps?”_

“No, no… she’s…” 

For a split second, Althea hesitated.

_“... Althea?”_

The sound of Zenon’s voice coaxed her into finally replying.

“She’s pregnant.”

Zenon didn’t react, but two loud gasps echoed through the communicator.

 _“Pregnant?!”_ Vanica giggled.

 _“Like… with a_ baby?!” Dante added, incredulous.

Althea wrinkled her nose. _“_ No, Dante, with a tapeworm”

 _“Of course it’s a baby,”_ Zenon snapped, cutting Dante off before he could start yelling at Althea for the slightly-rude comeback. _“That’s unexpected… but also fortunate. She won’t be able to fight if she’s pregnant, right?”_

“I wouldn’t say that…” Althea gulped, her mind drifting back to the encounter this afternoon. In truth, the reason she entered that examination room wasn’t because of an accident or anything… It was because she sensed _something,_ some foreign, almost _alien_ mana. She didn’t expect to find a small, pregnant woman at the source, but that wasn’t just any woman. It was _Lisa._ The Wizard King, who now carried the baby of the former Wizard King. “She’s… very powerful, even now. It could be a while before the pregnancy poses a serious handicap to her.”

_“How long, then? How long should we wait?”_

“Maybe six months… she’ll be physically incapable of fighting by then.”

 _“Six months!? Why would we wait that long, we’re nearly ready now!”_ Dante objected. _“She’s not_ that _much of a threat, is she?”_ Althea could practically hear him lick his lips through the communicator. _“And besides… if she’s powerful, she’ll be more fun for me to conquer, correct?”_

 _“I have an idea-”_ Zenon finally cut in. _“I trust Althea’s judgement… However, Dante’s right, waiting that long would be inefficient. So…”_ He stalled on the word for just a moment before continuing. _“Althea… within the next few months, you must try your best to get close to this Wizard King. And once you do…”_

Althea realized what he was about to ask of her a moment before the words met her ears. If she had even a split second more, maybe she would have stopped him before he was done. But this was _Zenon…_ and she knew she could never refuse an order from the devil himself.

_“Kill her.”_


	2. | 2 |

"I feel like having this party isn't a very good idea… I mean, someone might notice-"

"Notice what, Marx? That I'm pregnant?" Lisa giggled, elegantly holding a glass of sparkling cider between her fingers as they watched the guests come in. She wanted to have some fun and check up on some of these nobles, which was the real reason for this party. "Loosen up, I'm not showing. And even if I  _ am _ starting to change shape, they wouldn't notice underneath all this." She gestured at her cape, draped over her bare shoulders, which aptly concealed her silhouette while still showing off the silky royal blue cocktail dress she wore. 

"I suppose you're right, as usual." Marx let out a weary sigh, still suspiciously eyeing each guest around the room. "Everyone is going to know eventually, anyway, I suppose.”

Lisa hummed her agreement, raising her hand to wave hello at someone that was passing by. Sadly, none of her actual friends, like Yami, Fuegoleon, or Charlotte could make it, but there were still a few familiar faces, one of which was approaching her quickly. “Damnatio Kira, I didn’t think you’d show up.”

“That makes two of us.” Damnatio bowed his head slightly as he approached, his usual sour expression softening for a moment. “You look lovely.” 

Lisa exchanged a glance with Marx, who’s eyebrows had almost disappeared under the edge of his bowl-cut bangs. She had spoken with Damnatio maybe seven times in her life, with five of those being fairly recently due to the whole business with Asta and the trial. But now, here he was, looking down at her with those empty, plaintive eyes; a royal of house  _ Kira,  _ no less. “Oh… thanks. Um, you look pretty good yourself, aha-” 

It was a lie. Damnatio was still wearing that god-awful smock that he always wore. While he was alive, Julius’s day-to-day outfit was also kind of amorphous… but like, in a sexy way. Damnatio had the sex appeal of a dead, rotting fish. 

Thankfully, Damnatio merely gave her a polite kiss on the back of her hand before stalking off, and Lisa let out a long sigh of relief once he was gone. “I wish Adeline could have made it, but she insisted she wanted to keep working.” Lisa shook her head, smiling a little at the image of her hard-working girlfriend. “Well, that doesn’t mean I can’t still have fun-” She cut herself off when she spotted another familiar, more-welcome face. “Oh! Owen! Hi!”

The doctor smiled and waved as he walked over, wearing a nicer dress shirt under his usual coat. “Good evening… I won’t be staying long, I still have some work to do.” 

“Well, I’m glad you made it! And- oh-” Lisa’s eyes widened when she realized that Owen didn’t come alone. “Althea! What a surprise!”

Indeed, none other than Althea poked her head around Owen’s shoulder, looking very nervous. By now, she had encountered Lisa a handful of times, since Lisa would stop by with her “world famous coffee” every now and then (admittedly… it  _ was  _ very good). “Hi… um, I wasn’t sure if I should come, this all looks very fancy-” She was cut off as Lisa grabbed her wrist and playfully pulled her out from behind Owen.

“Don’t worry, you’re more than welcome here!” Lisa assured her, giving her hand a few pats. “And- I absolutely love your dress!” Althea was wearing a pretty red gown with white gloves that reached halfway up her arm. Lisa’s eyes basically had stars in them. “Where did you get it?! I might have to go get one, too, but in blue- ooh, that way, at the next party, we can match! Or, I guess, compliment each other- Red and Blue are complementary colors, right? Either way, that would be neat-”

Althea couldn’t do much but stand there silently, nearly sweating from anxiety as Lisa continued to fawn over her as if she had known Althea from childhood.  _ She’s… vibrant. There’s so much life energy all around her, and inside her, it can’t help but spill out.  _ However, this attention wasn’t the only thing making Althea nervous. The real reason she was here at the party was the poison she had hidden in the tip of her glove. 

“Lisa, what is that you’re drinking?” Owen eyed the glass in her hand suspiciously.

“Champagne, of course.” Lisa winked at him, the gesture not going unmissed by Althea. “Althea, do you want something to drink?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah. Maybe just some champagne, too-”

“On it!” Lisa let go of her and walked off, disappearing into the crowd.

“I’m glad she’s having fun, at least.” Owen sighed, turning to look at Marx and Althea once again. “Especially after the last few weeks…”

Marx nodded solemnly, and Althea could feel the somber weight of the atmosphere around them; a small bubble of grief within this bright, happy room.

“Aaaand- I’m back!”

Althea drew in a quick breath at the sound of the voice beside her. She whipped around to see Lisa standing there, seemingly coming from  _ nowhere.  _ “One champagne for you, ma’am!”

“Aha… thanks.” Althea nervously took the glass and immediately drank a long sip.  _ That was weird… didn’t she walk in the opposite direction? She was back so quickly- _

Althea didn’t have much time to think about it; she already knew that assassinating Lisa would be hard to do. Not only was Lisa powerful, but she never seemed to be off-guard or vulnerable. She carried herself with so much confidence, it was almost blinding. But it didn’t matter; Althea had a mission. She wanted to prove to Zenon and the others that she was a good spy, someone they could rely on to get the job done. 

The poison she acquired from the black market would dissolve quickly in any liquid. It was powder, something she could easily stuff into the tip of one of her glove’s fingers. All she had to do was dip that finger into Lisa’s drink for two seconds, and the poison would be ready. One sip… and Lisa would die within 12 minutes. Within that time, Althea would have to run back to her apartment, send out a distress signal, and get picked up by Zenon via spatial magic. Simple… in theory. Lisa wasn’t going to let anyone else near her drink, Althea was sure of that much.

_ Then… how… how am I supposed to kill her? _

That’s when Althea noticed the blood dripping out of Lisa’s nose. 

A moment later, Lisa noticed it too. “Oh, oops!” She reached up and covered the lower part of her face, letting out a little laugh. Althea watched carefully; she felt something strange in that laugh, an emotion that Lisa had failed to show ever since she met her:

Fear.

“I’ll be right back, let me clean this up!” Lisa gave the group a little wave before running off. 

“One thing after another, huh?” Marx sighed, taking a sip of his drink. “She’s been getting those nosebleeds a lot, lately.”

Owen’s forehead creases deepened at this information, and his gaze swung around to stare at the door Lisa had just disappeared through. “That’s strange… I hope she’s alright.”

Althea cleared her throat, catching the men’s attention. “Um, I can go check on her, if you want?”

“Good idea!”

“The restroom is just down the hall on the left,” Marx told her, and Althea gave him a nod of understanding before dashing out. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest along with her footsteps, echoing through each corner of the empty, dark castle halls. She spotted a door up ahead; the door to the women’s restroom.

Althea didn’t even have a plan. She wasn’t sure what to expect once she opened the door. Maybe she could offer to help? Lisa brought her drink with her, so Althea could slip the poison in at that moment. Yes! That’s it! Then she could run, and finally go home-

When the door swung open, Althea froze in the doorway. Any plan she had before was dashed to pieces.

Lisa was a crumpled heap on the floor, her small, frail body twitching uncontrollably. One of her hands braced against the ground weakly, her fingers clenched into an impossibly tight fist. Her back was hunched, her face down, and the only sound she made was a quiet, strained whimper. One look was all it took for Althea to tell that Lisa was in horrible pain.

_ Wha… what? _

Her breathing became heavy in her chest, a cold sweat breaking out on her brow.

_ Lisa… she’s… _

Was this a stroke? Or a seizure? Or something else? Althea closed her mouth, not making a sound, and took one step closer. Now she could see the blood by Lisa’s face, dripping uncontrollably out of her nose and onto the tile floor.  _ So… internal bleeding? What’s going on here? _

Althea’s hand twitched, and her Grimoire flipped open. On cue, a long, smooth green snake appeared out of nowhere, and circled its way down to the ground. 

_ She’s hurt… but… _

The snake started to slither over to Lisa’s pained form, letting out a soft  _ hiss. _

_ This is my chance… _

With her mana snakes, Althea could heal wounds, but it could also drain away mana. In her weakened state, Lisa wouldn’t be able to fight back as her life was sucked away. Or, if that failed… the snake would wrap around her neck and crush the life out of her.

_ I can do it… then run… _

The snake reached Lisa, climbing her with a quick, smooth grace.

_ I can kill her… _

Lisa tensed up as the snake wrapped around her neck.

_ I can go home… _

The snake paused, still loosely wrapped around Lisa’s neck. Then… it started to glow. Green, warm healing mana coursed out of it and into Lisa. Her twitching stopped, and her body suddenly relaxed as the pain was eased.

Althea stood there silently, watching as the snake rubbed its snout comfortingly against the side of Lisa’s head.

_ … why... _

Lisa’s joints screamed in protest as she slowly started to sit up.  _ God damn it… they’re getting more frequent.  _ She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, willing herself to stay calm.  _ I need to get faster… I need to end this pregnancy before I die, and take the baby with me- _

“Here, stay still.”

Her eyes popped back open at the sound of someone’s voice.  _ Huh? I’m not alone?! Wait, who- _

Althea knelt down next to her, helping her sit up. Then, she started wiping the blood off of her face. Lisa sat there, petrified for a moment, but she couldn’t help but relax after a few beats of awkward silence. There was something comforting about how… professional Althea was. Her face didn’t look upset, or scared, or disgusted… she just seemed focused. 

“There.” Althea sat back, staring at Lisa’s now clean face. Lisa blinked slowly a few times before offering her a small smile. More than anything, she felt exhausted, just like she always did after these episodes.  _ I can’t tell Althea the truth… no one but me and Adeline are supposed to know about this.  _ Lisa cleared her throat before averting her eyes.

“I’m sorry you had to see that… I get those seizures sometimes, it’s quite embarrassing, really.”

Althea didn’t react, but something about that explanation didn’t seem… right.

Lisa let out a deep sigh, her eyes closing for a moment. “But… Thank you, Althea. That healing magic-” her eyes popped back open, suddenly sparkling. “Let me see that again! It felt really nice and warm…”

“Huh? Oh-” Althea gulped before shaking her head. “I better not… I need to get you somewhere safe.”

“Oh.” Lisa sounded disappointed, but she knew the doctor was right. “Alright… doctor knows best.” She shot a little wink over at the other woman. “Can you help me up?”

Althea nodded, carefully hooking an arm around Lisa’s back and helping her to her feet. Lisa winced as her knees wobbled, and the breath in her lungs got dangerously thin. “Ah… I’m not quite recovered yet…”

“Hold on-” With the help of one of her snakes, Althea managed to pick Lisa up into her arms, her regal robe bunched up around her body. Lisa cleared her throat awkwardly, averting her eyes once again.  _ This is pathetic… If I can’t find a way to manage these symptoms, I’ll end up getting embarrassed to death first!  _ “Is there a sitting room with a couch nearby? Or-”

“My bedroom is just up the stairs, if that’s ok…” Lisa really didn’t feel like rejoining the party at this point.

“Oh. Yeah, that’s fine.” Althea headed out of the bathroom, leaving nothing but faint traces of mana and a small pool of blood on the floor.

The trip was not difficult, even when ascending the stairs. Lisa was a bit shorter than Althea, but in her arms… she weighed practically  _ nothing.  _ Even with the robe wrapped around her, Lisa was so light…

_ Maybe… maybe Lisa isn’t as powerful as we think. _

_ Maybe… I don’t  _ need  _ to kill her, after all. _

Lisa rolled over away from Althea as soon as she sat on the bed, one of her hands instantly reaching out to grab something laying next to her. Her back was turned; Althea knew that she could easily strike now while she was vulnerable. But… she didn’t. Instead, she just watched curiously as Lisa pulled the thing closer. It was like a blanket, a large, red, soft-looking piece of fabric with white fur trim all over it. But, as Lisa curled up around it, Althea realized that it wasn’t a blanket. It had a sleeve. 

“Thanks again, Althea, but I’m fine now…” Althea tore her eyes away from it as Lisa spoke again. “Tell Marx to find Adeline and send her up here…”

“...ok, yeah.” Althea had no idea who this  _ Adeline  _ was, but she agreed anyway. “You’re sure you’re fine?”

“Yeah! Thanks to you.” Lisa rolled over, still smiling, but her eyes were narrowed slightly.

_...suspicion? _

_ No… _

“You’re a doctor, right, Althea? I have a question that I always wanted to ask a doctor…”

_ Curiosity…  _

Lisa’s lips curled into a little smile. The hairs on the back of Althea’s neck stood up on end. There was no malice in that smile, and yet, it reminded her of something...

“Would you ever… heal an enemy?”

…

“No. Not an enemy of the Clover Kingdom.”

It was barely audible, but Lisa let out a tiny laugh through her nose.

“Goodnight, Althea.”

“Goodnight… Lisa…”

Later that night, Althea went home to give her report. She said she wasn’t able to act because Lisa was heavily guarded.

It was a lie.


	3. | 3 |

A few months later, Althea found herself running.

_Come on! Come on! Just a little farther!_

The cold night air burned in her lungs, eating away at them and threatening to make her pass out at any minute. Fear, adrenaline, shame, it was all pumping through her veins in a deafening roar. She felt like screaming or crying, but she couldn’t do anything but run. She had to escape, she had to get home, she _had to._

This little operation was over. Her cover was blown, in the worst way possible, and now Althea had no choice but to escape. All she had to do was reach her apartment, send out the signal, and Zenon would be here to save her. He’d open up a portal, and she’d jump through and bury herself into his arms once again-

Althea’s thoughts were interrupted as another presence suddenly appeared in the air, one she knew immediately, but also one that was less than welcome. Her eyes widened in shock, her body unable to change direction in time.

_Wait- no- that’s-_

It was too late. Althea froze, completely still, and time melted away.

Maybe it was just a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity before she was finally released. Althea let out a surprised shriek as she suddenly fell a few feet onto the ground, thankfully landing in a way so she didn’t get hurt. Dazed, the woman rubbed her eyes, but tensed up as she heard a voice.

“Hey, Althea.”

Slowly, she turned around where she sat. She was in a dark warehouse, boxes of food and bags of grain stacked up on all sides. It was quiet, the sounds of the city either too far away or muffled by thick walls. But despite the darkness, Althea could see someone sitting on one of the stacks. She was a bit thicker than usual, her belly now swollen with the child she carried, but Althea recognized her in an instant.

_Lisa._

The fight or flight instinct took over, and Althea chose the first one. With an anguished yell, she whipped out her Grimoire. A second later, a big, bright green snake manifested, then shot at Lisa at full strike speed. Lisa didn’t even have time to jump out of the way; no, she didn’t even _try_ to get out of the way. She simply raised her arm in front of her face. With a loud hiss, the snake buried its fangs into the flesh of her arm. Althea let a smile slide across her face. _Yes! I got her! Now, I just need to drain her of enough mana to get away, and then-_

Althea realized that plan wasn’t going to work. Nothing was happening. Lisa lowered her arm, looking down at the snake lodged there with a slight expression of distaste. “Ah, come on… Althea, I just want to talk.” She seemed completely unfazed, even as the snake worked hard to drain her mana. And it _was_ draining mana, tons of it, Althea could feel it But still…

That’s when Althea spotted it: the strange, ancient mark on Lisa’s forehead. One side of it was now glowing bright blue, pulsing slightly in the darkness. The other side was dulled, blacked out. _Is she pulling mana back into her with that Mark? Or is she pulling it from somewhere else?!_ She was warned about the power Lisa wielded, the _Dyad_ that allowed her to share mana with Julius. Was this a result of that Dyad? Baffled, Althea could do nothing but watch as Lisa casually flicked the snake in the snout. It let out an annoyed hiss before releasing her and slithering back to its mistress’s feet.

“That’s better… sorry, I had to grab you and run before the search party found you.” Lisa smiled again before looking down at Althea. “So… I heard that you revealed yourself to everyone quite dramatically…”

Althea bristled slightly, wondering if she should make a break for it. Lisa obviously was caught up on everything, so there could be no playing dumb. On top of that, Althea was pretty sure that there would be no escape if Lisa remained up there, unharmed, staring down into her soul through those dark eyes. “... and? Why didn’t you take me back to the castle?”

Lisa shrugged. “No need. Anyway, I’d rather hear your side of the story in private.”

 _My side of the story?_ There was no ill-will coming from Lisa’s words, but Althea was still deeply unnerved by this situation. “You don’t sound that surprised.”

“Surprised? Why should I be, I knew about you already.”

Now _that_ got Althea’s attention. “...h-huh?” She finally took a step back, her heart pounding. “How?! How long?”

“Ummm…” Lisa tapped her chin, thinking it over. “Since that party… you see, when I was holding your hand, I felt something weird in your glove. So, I snuck back while I was ‘getting you a drink’ and checked it out. That white powder is a pretty common poison around here, you know. It was easy to figure out where you were from, after that… Diamond is under attack, and Heart is our ally, so you had to be from the Spade Kingdom, correct?”

Althea stayed silent, incredulous. _All this time?! She knew? How did she even check my glove? Does she have a power that we don’t know about yet?_

“Anyway…” Althea clenched her fist as she watched Lisa stand up, wobbling slightly from the new weight on her small form. Was she about to make a move? Or just stretch her legs. “After that, I wanted to watch you.”

 _...watch me?_ “So… is that why you kept coming to visit Owen? To watch me?” Althea frowned, remembering the times Lisa came and pestered her at work.

“Oh, no!” Lisa giggled a little, waving her hand dismissively. “I did that because I wanted to be your friend.” She sighed sadly. “I guess that’s impossible now, though…”

_… friend?_

“...so… are you not upset?” Althea asked, stalling for time. Her eyes glanced quickly around the warehouse, trying to find an escape, _any_ escape. _If I can just get out of her sight and hide…_

“Why would I be? It’s not like you actually betrayed anyone,” Lisa replied. “I mean… you were never actually on our side. Spade is your home… you can’t betray someone you never actually served in the first place, can you?”

Maybe she was right. Althea frowned, her stance relaxing just a little. No, she never served the Clover Kingdom, at least not genuinely. She would always be a soldier of the Spade Kingdom, loyal to the Zogratis family. Above all, to _him._ He was everything she built her life upon, a strong foundation that she hoped would last for years. For him, she would watch the world burn. But…

 _Even when I had the chance… I couldn’t carry out my duty. And because of that choice, I’m stuck in this situation. I may never get home… Hell-_ Her green gaze flickered back up to Lisa’s eyes, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up once again. That chill, the growing pit sinking in her stomach… _I may never get out of this warehouse._

 _“_ You really… aren’t upset?” Althea asked cautiously. “I mean… I’m an enemy. I’m _evil,_ aren’t I?”

“Evil? Just because you’re my enemy, doesn’t mean you’re evil.” Lisa hopped off of her stack of boxes, floating gracefully down to the ground. Althea sucked in a breath, but couldn’t move. Despite what Lisa was saying, the danger wouldn’t leave her veins, every nerve in her body was screaming at her to _run._ “Everyone in this world is just doing what benefits them the most… Just like every living thing in this world. There is no such thing as _evil._ ”

Althea blinked, frozen with her hand over her Grimoire. Her snake hissed, agitated, as Lisa stepped closer… and closer…

“You wouldn’t try to impose morals on an animal, would you? A hawk, a wolf, a shark… a _snake..._ they’re just doing what benefits them the most. And humans…”

_Humans._

“It would be unfair… for _me_ to impose morals on a human. So, as far as I'm concerned… you can leave."

It was what Althea wanted to hear, but the words confused her to no end. Here was Lisa, the Clover Wizard King, who had knowingly let a spy run around untouched… and now she was letting Althea _go,_ possibly with sensitive information that could harm the kingdom. No, that _will_ harm the Kingdom. 

"I… I don't get it." Althea's fist tightened. Part of her wanted to fight her way out, to try her best against this woman, to prove something… but Lisa wasn't going to let her, either way. "How does letting me go benefit you at _all?"_

…

"Well…"

Lisa smiled, and Althea felt a sensation she had never felt before. The ice in her veins melted. The need to run or fight was gone; she no longer felt like a cornered animal in the presence of an apex predator. 

No… Althea was already dead. 

She was at peace, standing there across from the Wizard King. Maybe in another life, they could be friends. Maybe, even in this one. Lisa tried her best, after all. 

No malice could be found in Lisa's empty black eyes… only curiosity. Lisa was no apex predator. She was the vulture that would inevitably come circling down to consume what was left.

 _This woman… has nothing left to lose_ . _She'll do whatever benefits her the most. Whatever that might be._

_I definitely should have killed her..._

"Letting you leave will make my future battles just a _little_ more interesting."

Lisa tossed something from her hand, and Althea barely caught it. Stumbling back, she looked down to see that it was her communicator. "Huh? Wait, Lisa-"

She didn't even want to ask any questions. Now that the adrenaline was gone and she understood that she could go home, Althea just wanted to say goodbye… and maybe even _thank you._

But Lisa was gone. 

After a long moment alone in the quiet night, Althea finally opened her communicator and pushed the button. Mere minutes later, a portal would open, and it would finally be time to go home. 

Althea… as confused, lost, and lonely as she was, would get to go home. 

But now she knew something valuable. She didn't want to fight Lisa. She didn't want Vanica or Dante to fight her. And by God… she didn't want Zenon to fight her. At least not alone. But at least now, maybe they could find a way to beat her together. 

_Zenon… we’ll get out of this. We’ll watch the world burn, together._

_And Lisa…_

Several things didn’t add up about the woman, but Althea suspected that there were many secrets hidden within those eyes. Secrets that Althea couldn't help but feel would lead to something ominous.

_The next time I see her, it'll be on the battlefield. But just because she's my enemy, doesn't mean she's evil…_

_We both want to watch the world burn, after all._


End file.
